heartbroken. >> we love them. it's terrible. my dad and i, we worked together. we had a good relationship. we got to spend time together golfing and fishing. i'm so thankful for that now. >> well, troopers are still investigating the situation. i'm victor blackwell in for brooke baldwin. "the situation room" starts now. happening now, police fire tear gas as demonstrations in egypt turn violent. angry protesters accuse egypt's president of betraying the revolution. and in the word of one critic, making himself a pharoah. what happened before and after u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s. did in the moments before killing osama bin laden. wolf blitzer's off today. i'm joe johns. you're in "the situation room."

we begin with today's astonishing show of fury in egypt. within the past hour egyptian authorities tear gassed protesters in cairo's tahrir square. angry demonstrators packed the square today denouncing egyptian president mohamed morsi as a dictator and accusing him of a power grab. cnn's reza sayah is in cairo. reza, what's it look like now? >> reporter: joe, it is 11:00 p.m. cairo time. these demonstrators started gathering around in tahrir square about 1:00 p.m. local time. that means they've been going strong for about ten hours. many thought maybe egyptians were worn out, tired of demonstrating after the 2011 revolution, but if you look at tahrir square today, if you look at cairo today, it doesn't seem like it.

the demonstrations are continuing. so are clashes. about an hour and a half ago clashes taking place right where we are behind us at the hotel we're staying at. security forces clashing with protesters. a number of protesters ambushed a police vehicle carrying riot police. the police took off. the protesters got ahold of this truck, set it on fire. more security forces came in, shot tear gas and disbursed the protesters. we've seen similar clashes throughout the day. all the demonstrators angry after president morsi declared some controversial decrees that temporarily give him sweeping powers making him the most powerful man in egypt. one of the decrees bans anyone even the judiciary from overturning questioning any decision he's made since he took office in june. that order is to stay in place for the next several months until a parliament is in place. he says this is an effort to push through a new parliament,

to push through the draft of the constitution, but his opponents are gathered at tahrir square and don't seem to be going anywhere say this is an undemocratic power grab, joe. >> and what is he doing to explain or rationalize the reason for making these changes? >> reporter: well, he's defending himself. keep in mind, he has a lot of supporters too. his supporters of course the faction of the muslim brotherhood, the movement that backs him, he had a speech today to his gathering saying he is one of the people. he's a protector of the revolution. and he says he wants the process of drafting a constitution, of putting in place a new parliament, to go through. he doesn't want that process to be bogged down. he says these particular decrees are designed to do that. of course, his opponents vehemently disagree. they're calling the new dictator according to the egyptian

diplomat, he is egypt's new pharaoh. joe. >> his critics are obviously denouncing all this. what are the people who support him saying? >> reporter: well, look, the political landscape is in their favor -- is in the favor of the muslim brotherhood. of course with these decrees, mohamed morsi is the most powerful person in egypt at this moment. there is no legislative body in this constitutional assembly to draft the constitution, that's dominated by the islamist. so certainly supporters are pleased with these developments. but this is a revolution that took place in 2011 and spearheaded by a number of other factions, liberals, youth movements, they believe they're being sidelined. what you have here is an intensifying faceoff between the president and his opponents. >> reza sayah, an intense situation there in cairo. appreciate your reporting. this afternoon the obama

administration weighed-in on the situation in egypt raising a number of concerns. let's go to cnn white house correspondent dan lothian. dan. >> reporter: joe, one of those concerns is about too much power in the hands of one person. we look back a few months ago it was unclear whether egypt was an ally of the u.s. now a senior administration official saying a relationship of trust has developed between president obama and president morsi. but as we know in any relationship things can get complicated. at the white house, a sense of calm kicking off the holiday season with the arrival of a 19-foot christmas tree. >> it is perfect. it's exactly what we needed. >> reporter: while the president headed to the golf course at joint base andrews. but the white house is closely watching developments in egypt. protests, violent at times and anger over what some see as president morsi's power grab, as

declarations preventing any court from overturning his decisions. >> ilt appears the timing is curious. he's gotten this bump particularly for his role in mediating the cease-fire from the united states and from others. he's really seen as emerging stronger from this. >> reporter: but now concern from the obama administration, state department spokeswoman victoria nuland saying "the decisions and declarations announced on november 22nd raise concerns for many egyptians and for the international community," adding in the stateme statement "one of the revelations was not too much power handed over to any one person or institution. they developed what one administration official characterized as a relationship of trust. it's too early to tell if this latest move will change that. >> let's wait and see how morsi

uses these powers. up until now he's done pretty well in terms of -- from the western perspective in working with israel. he has a lot to prove to the outside world and his own people. >> reporter: now, the obama administration is calling for calm in egypt pushing the leadership there to work together to resolve their differences peacefully and through "democratic dialogue." joe. >> everybody i think is a little stunned about the timing of all of this, dan. is the white house saying anything about whether there's some type of linkage between the timing of the gaza agreement and this move by mohamed morsi? >> reporter: they're not at all. in fact, the white house has been really pushing a lot of the comment on this through the state department which of course as i mentioned a short time ago did release that statement. i think it's really too early to tell. they are watching carefully what the developments are there and will have more comment i suspect as they get more information. >> thanks so much for that, dan

lothian at the white house. we're just over two days into the israeli/hamas cease-fire along the gaza border and already both sides are accusing the other of breaking the truce. israel says three rockets were launched from gaza into israel on thursday. and a shooting incident at the border today has both sides on edge. joining me now is sara sidner in jerusalem. sara, hamas is saying right now that some israeli troops opened fire on palestinian citizens. what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, they have very differing story from what the israeli military's saying. here's what the hamas health ministry has said. they said that one person was killed and that 24 people were injured. they say that they were farmers, they were on the gaza side of the border and that the israeli military opened fire on them. however, in talking to the israeli military, they say that there were several groups of men who were protesting, come up to the fence, some trying to enter israel and that the soldiers

fired in the air warning shots. when the warnings were not heeded, they began firing toward their legs. the israeli military has not confirmed yet that there's been a death or any injuries. they are investigating. but what makes it significant is that this is happening 48 hours after a very fragile cease-fire was agreed upon between israel and gaza. and there's a lot of concern that this might be something that would be considered breaking this cease-fire whether it was from one side or another. a lot of people here concerned about that very thing especially the civilians have gone through so much over the past several days. >> now, the cease-fire, i have to say a lot of people expected there would be a certain number of skirmishes. do you think this is something outside the ordinary? >> reporter: it really isn't outside the ordinary. you know, if you look back just a couple of months ago, there were lots of things going on on that border. whether it was tunnels that were exploding on israeli soldiers,

whether there was a child shot witnesses said shot by israeli soldiers, there was return fire, so there have been a lot of things that have gone on on this border as you might imagine with a lot of different people saying that one side is to blame or another side is to blame. it's just the timing of this that has people concerned. although i think as a whole even though we're hearing from the palestinian authority which is saying they believe this is breaking the cease-fire, that israel has broken the cease-fire, when you look at it as a whole, i think most people think, look, i think the cease-fire will stick for some time. the real concern here though especially on the part of civilians and the governments frankly is whether or not they can come to a permanent solution. and that seems less likely in the near future. >> and it certainly appears it will take quite a while to get to that permanent solution. this is not something that's going to happen overnight. >> reporter: no. there's a lot of things that are sticking parts, joe. a lot of things that both sides say that they want but they're absolutely not going to be able to agree on them.

they haven't been able to agree on them for many, many years since hamas took over in 2007. so these are sticking points that i think they will try to talk through them and try to get through them, but we may be waiting a very long time for a permanent solution in this particular situation, joe. >> sara sidner reporting from jerusalem. thank you for that. a couple and their unborn child run up against their country's new restrictions on abortion. only now one of them is alive and he wants a full public inquiry into a tragic chain of events.

>> hi. >> you know, i can save you 15% today if you open up a charge card account with us. >> announcer: we all love a good deal during the holidays, especially identity thieves. they can open an account in your name and go on a serious spending spree. >> do you have cufflinks? >> mm-hmm. >> gold ones? >> announcer: not on our watch. we're lifelock, with the most comprehensive identity theft protection you can buy. go to lifelock.com or call 1-800-lifelock today. [whoosh] lifelock-- relentlessly protecting your identity. ♪ you are my sunshine, my only sunshine ♪ ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] choose the same brand your mom trusted for you. children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade.

a grieving widower fears the truth behind his wife's death may be lost forever. the 31-year-old woman died in an irish hospital after she miscarried. she was denied an abortion

because of ireland's strict abortion laws. now her husband's speaking out to cnn's nic robertson. >> reporter: he has lost his wife and now fears the truth behind her tragic death may be lost too. >> some key information is missing. >> reporter: they met in india, married then set up home in ireland four years ago. he is an engineer. she was a dentist. they were happy here. >> she loved dancing. she forced me to dance with her a couple of times on the stage. we gave a performance. never have i gone on stage or i never had. i always had stage fear to go to speak out and the belief she

gave me. it was unbelievable. >> reporter: together they had dreams of a beautiful future, of children, their children, of having a family. >> she was looking forward basically. in a way she found that she is at the right place. that's the reason why. she knew and she was very well organized as well. she knew what she wanted in life. so that's the reason why she had decided to settle here on the long-term. >> reporter: when she became pregnant, they were overjoyed. then their ordeal began. she got back pain. here at the university hospital doctors told her she was miscarrying. her baby would likely die. her husband says they asked for a termination and were told this is a catholic country, not while the fetus is alive. >> so we wanted to go home and

think about the next pregnancy because it was a planned pregnancy. we were so happy. we wanted to have baby. >> reporter: three days after the request, the fetus died, was removed. four days later she was dead from a blood infection. ireland has been outraged. protests in support of her not just here but across the world have urged the country's politician to update abortion laws, prevent similar tragedies. there has been political fallout too. abortion is a hot button issue in ireland. the prime minister is under pressure to get a health service inquiry. government steps so far have done little to inspire not just because he says they took weeks before announcing an inquiry, but when they did, three of the seven medical professionals on the investigation team were from the same hospital here where his

wife died. although they've now been replaced, other issues remain. not the least of which the missing medical records. records the hospital declined our request to comment on. >> basically made a request for termination and there is no notes of the request at all, any of the medical notes. and also the response from the doctor is not in the medical records either. >> reporter: what do you think has happened to it? >> we don't know. it's just strange that there's all of the other information in there when requested for a cup of tea and toast and things like an extra blanket was given. all that is in the medical notes. >> reporter: he says he will settle for nothing less than a full public inquiry. where the health service, not just his wife's death, is

investigated. >> every single family person asked me how could this happen in a country like ireland in the 21st century? because it was just so simple. they knew that the baby's not going to survive. why wait. think about the bigger life. which was my wife. >> reporter: all he wants is the truth. nic robertson, cnn, galway, ireland. >> as a result of this, irish officials announced an investigation on care of critically ill patients. a nightmare on a stretch of highway in texas, a son who wasn't on a trip with his parents talks about what happened when fog and sunlight caused a chain-reaction pile-up. and also ahead, an island of the size of manhattan that really isn't there. we'll explain. s the guoliang tu.

what?! you've got to be kidding me. [ derek ] i've never seen a road like this. there's jagged rock all the way around. this is really gonna test the ats on all levels. [ derek ] this road is the most uneven surface, and it gets very narrow. magnetic ride control is going to be working hard. the shock absorbers react to the road 1,000 times a second. it keeps you firmly in control. whoa! [ male announcer ] the all-new cadillac ats.

check for more! well, i guess i can double check... my watch! [ male announcer ] it pays to double check, with state farm.

my watch! thrget 3 yearsgiving weekend, interest-free financing and save up to $600 on beautyrest and posturepedic. even get 3 years interest-free financing on serta icomfort and tempur-pedic. mattress price wars ends sunday at sleep train.

a texas deputy sheriff calls it the thanksgiving day nightmare. at least 100 vehicles were involved in a horrendous pile-up on fog-bound interstate 10. 120 people were injured and a husband and wife were killed. our affiliate khou tells us the couple's family is stunned and grief-stricken. >> reporter: we now have a face to the couple killed in the massive pile-up on thanksgiving morning. >> we miss them. we love them. it's terrible. >> reporter: he could barely get the words out because he is their oldest son.

mom, debbie, was just 60 years old, dad was 64. they owned vinco electric. >> my dad and i worked together. we had a good relationship. we got to spend time together golfing and fishing. i'm so thankful for that now. >> reporter: richard leggio, their youngest, just finished watching the texan game. >> they were going on a gambling trip. >> reporter: where? >> yeah. it was our first thanksgiving away from each other. >> reporter: the couple made it all the way to i-10 when the fog was unbearable. then the sun came up. witnesses say they couldn't see a thing in front of them. then this pile-up involving at least 100 vehicles killing the leggios instantly and sending at least 50 others to the hospital. the leggios were in their white suv when they were crushed

between a big rig and a car. >> my parents are wonderful loving people, all you knew them knew that. they'll be sorely missed. sorely missed. >> that was jessica willy of cnn affiliate khou. the wreckage scene was more than a mile long with cars twisted on top of each other. they're still looking into what caused the fog. and that played into the whole thing including the crashes. is war-ravaged syria forming a tighter alliance with iran? lisa sylvester's monitor thag and some other top stories in "the situation room" right now. >> hi, joe. syrian state television is airing new video of president bashar al assad, he's seen meeting with the chairman of the iranian parliament in syria's capital of damascus today. this comes as fighting continues to rage in syria's civil war and the death toll continues to mount one day after 151 people were killed across the country, opposition activists say at least 43 people have died in

syria today. and we want to warn you what you are about to see next is graphic. and it may be disturbing for some of our viewers. a 16-year-old girl was walking down the street in east london last week when suddenly a man came up behind her -- oh, and brutally knocked her to the ground. the attack was captured on closed circuit tv. a suspect is under arrest. and the teen, we are happy to say, she is now recovering. blackberry maker research in motion is riding a wave of investor optimism. its stock surged more than 13.5% today this after an industry analyst predicted strong sales for the company's new blackberry 10, the long-awaited smartphone will finally debut on january 30th. that is a year later than originally planned. and get this, a south pacific island that shows up on google earth and other world maps, apparently it just doesn't exist. yep. that's right. scientists, they went looking for sandy island believed to be as big as manhattan shows up right here on google earth.

but the scientist's ship sailed right through the spot in the sea where the island should have been. so it's a little bit of a mystery, joe. what happened to the island? it's not like islands just disappear every day. >> well, that's pretty amazing. you would think by now they have pictures from outer space. >> well, you know, they kind of -- they narrow in, zoom in, it looks like it's there, looks like it's real but apparently something happened. >> that's amazing. >> one of the mysteries of the world. >> you bet. thanks. when you think of president obama, you might not think of designer clothes and accessories, but his campaign staff did. how they made tens of millions of dollars off of it. [ gordon ] for some this line is a convenience. how you doing today? i'm good thanks. how are you? i'm good. [ gordon ] but for others, it's all they can afford. every day nearly nine million older americans don't have enough to eat. anything else? no, not today. join me, aarp, and aarp foundation in the drive to end hunger

by visiting drivetoendhunger.org. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. mmm... [ male announcer ] sounds good. it's amazing what soup can do. [ male announcer ] sounds good. we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of tim and laura. it's amazing how appreciative ople are when you tell them they could save a lot of money on their car insurance by switching to geico...they may even make you their best man. may i have the rings please? ah, helzberg diamonds. nice choice, mate. ...and now in the presence of these guests we join this loving couple. oh dear...

geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage.

citi price rewind. buy now. save later. did you know that as we age our need for protein increases, yet many of us don't meet our daily protein needs? that's why there's boost® high protein nutritional drink. each delicious serving provides fifteen grams of protein to help maintain muscle and help meet expert recommended daily protein needs. plus it provides twenty-six essential vitamins and minerals and is gluten-free. help get the nutrition you need with a complete and balanced nutritional drink. try boost® high protein. also available in powder. this has been medifacts for boost®. house speaker john boehner says the country can't afford obama care. joining me for today's strategy session our cnn contributor and democratic strategist donna brazile and senior kriblt tor and editor and chief of

redstate.com, erick erickson. thanks for coming in especially on the day after thanksgiving. erick, i want to begin with you. house speaker john boehner wrote this "we can't afford to leave the president's health care law in tact. that's why i've been clear the law has to stay on the table as both parties discuss ways to solve our nation's massive debt challenge." where after this election does the house speaker if you will get the political capital to take this tact? >> well, at first, i have to point out, it's not just the day after thanksgiving, this is during the lsu game that donna and i are here. >> go tigers. >> arkansas. yes, the big game. now as to john boehner, the issue here is many of the states are opting out of state exchanges. there was a quirk when they passed the law nancy pelosi said you have to pass the law to find out what was in it, what wasn't in it is a funding mechanism for federal exchanges. many of the states are skipping state exchanges paid for by an

employer mandate to either fund health care insurance for employees 50 or more or to pay a fine in effect into a state exchange. the language for funding state exchanges isn't there for the federal exchanges. something like 15 to 20 states now are opting for the federal exchange so there's no funding mechanism. so the house has to revisit this. taxing legislation has to come through the house of representatives. so there's john boehner's mandate. >> now, donna, there's another quote from that article in the cincinnati inquirer i want to show and ask you about. he said in it there are essentially three major routes to repeal the president's law, the court of congressional process, with those routes coming up short, the third and final one becomes more important than ever. do you think that's the message of the last election to try to essentially repeal obama care by investigation? >> no. that's not the message. i understand that speaker boehner is still trying to pander to those who lost the

election, but the truth is is that two-thirds of this law is already being implemented across the country. some of the most important provisions are about to be implemented in 2013. and of course 2014 when the state exchanges come into play. i think it's important to focus on implementing this law to ensure that we get the kind of quality care, you know, that all americans deserve. and the fact we're trying to insure millions of american citizens, that should be the priority of speaker boehner and of course majority leader harry reid. it's time to put aside all of these election year gripes and start focusing on how we get the american people back on their feet, healthy, strong and back to work. >> i hate to keep talking about the last election because, you know, we've got to look ahead. nonetheless, there's some very interesting little nuggets out there including one about the fashion line, if you will, that was put out by the obama campaign as a fund raising tool.

now, jim messina, the campaign manager, said this, the obama fashion line ended upbringing him just north of $40 million, raise money, register voters, persuade voters, everything has to feed into those three things. now, a lot of people laughed about this, you know -- there you go. look at that. these are things from vera wang, marc jacobs, and it was something of a joke. but $40 million, who's laughing now? what do you think, is this a new tactic for campaigns to use in the future? >> absolutely. look, if you can raise north of $40 million putting a logo on a t-shirt or pocketbook or purse, why not? i mean, the american people -- some people like to walk around with various emblems from campaigns. we call it chum. and i have to tell you when i managed a campaign, i still have

people who want to know if they can get one of those -- you know, some of the paper clips and various items that we had with al gore's name on it. i still have them by the way. erick, if you want a few items including some cuff links, i also have some bill clinton cuff links, erick, i'll give it to you at a discount because i like you. >> what do you think, erick? >> well, you know, i want that under my christmas tree, donna. you're on notice now. >> done. >> anyway, i got to tell you, i was one of the people who was laughing at this originally, but it caught on. and i would be cautious for campaigns. you know, the president's campaign really was wrapped up in the image of the president. i don't necessarily know that it would have worked has mitt romney done it. i wouldn't have bought any of mitt romney's stuff. i'm not sure for particular politicians that it works, but for the president it worked. $40 million isn't something really to laugh at. they laughed all the way to the bank with it. >> erick, i want to ask you something about what you wrote

recently on redstate.com. this is on the topic of marco rubio and his sort of tipping the hat to the issue of creationism. you said marco rubio's getting beaten up by the press for not decisively saying billions of years old the issue has become the new litmus test in the media for conservative poll tingss believing what was believed to be literally -- years in now nutty. >> i actually think there is. let's be clear though what we're talking about. i think marco rubio and i think the world was created billions of years ago. but we're seeing this even going back to 2008 the debate, it was also raised. and we've gone from asking which i think we'll still see candidates on the right being asked about rape and abortion to being asked about creation and

creationism. largely it's a dodge. they don't want to get into whether or not you believe a man was resurrected from the grave. they'll ask that question. once everybody says billions of years, they'll move to adam and eve and keep going. >> quickly, donna, do you think marco rubio is sort of extending an olive branch to evangelicals in case he runs for president? >> you know, he was born a catholic, mormonism, evangelical christian, you know, this is an issue of scientific evidence. i don't know why he didn't just answer the question and say 4.5 billion years and go on with whatever else he wanted to talk about. look, if he is the new standard bear for the republican party, we're going to have a lot of jokes at his expense over the next three and a half years as we prepare for the 2016 election. but honestly, i really do believe that we need to talk about some other issues right now. >> donna, erick, thanks so much. thanks for coming in. we appreciate you taking a little bit -- >> go tigers. >> go tigers.

>> amen. >> you bet, guys. cnn obtained newly declassified e-mails about the osama bin laden raid that contained new details about what happened to bin laden's body after being taken to a u.s. aircraft carrier. also ahead, complaints and worries about medical problems in the wake of hurricane sandy. i love the holidays. and with my bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i love 'em even more. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through.

that's 1% back on... [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% back on 4 trips to the airport. it's as easy as... -[ man ] 1... -[ woman ] 2... [ woman ] 3. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you.

some fascinating new information from the pentagon contains details we never knew before about the killing of osama bin laden. cnn's brian todd has been reading newly released e-mails that fill in some of the gaps in the story of what happened.

>> reporter: tense and very secretive transmissions as the aircraft carrier waits for the body of osama bin laden. it's may 2, 2011, the al qaeda leader has just been killed. two u.s. navy admirals use code words to describe bin laden. the commander says fed ex delivered the package, both trucks are safely on route home base. the e-mails heavily redakted have just been released by the defense department responding to a freedom of information act washdog. a few days earlier that strike dog asked do i need any special religious ceremonial preparations. after bin laden's buried at sea, an admiral describes the scene. tradition traditional procedures for islamic burial was followed. the deceased body was washed then placed in a white sheet

then a military officer read prepared religious remarks which were translated into arabic. tipped up whereupon the deceased body slid into the sea. according to e-mails, there aren't many witnesses. in response to the question, any sailors watch the burial, burial, no sailors watched. and another says only a small group of the leadership was informed. less than a dozen total. and another indication of the secrecy of that part of the mission, an e-mail from a top admiral to joint chiefs chairman michael mullen, the paucity of documentary evidence in our possession is a reflection of the emphasis placed upon operational security. later on may 2nd, the deputy commander of that fleet tells the commander of his carrier group "thank you and your magnificent strike group for what you did for your country today". >> no pictures released but still a lot more information actually that the pentagon decided to sort of sit on. >> yeah. they're going to sit on this. who knows when it will get out.

in a letter to that group judicial watch, a top pentagon official says basically all their information on their plans, weapons, intelligence and sources is going to stay in top secret files. there's a lot about this mission we're not going to know. they were criticized for releasing too much information, but there's just a lot about this mission we're never going to know probably. >> great. thanks so much for that, brian todd. >> sure. going to go now to reporter mohamed fami in cairo. can you hear me? what's going on? >> reporter: basically there's a new front of clashings happening outside of tahrir square very closely here. the u.s. embassy is not the target, but it happens to be about 100 meters away from the embassy. the police are firing tear gas and warning gunshots in the air. several hundred protesters are throwing molotov cocktails and rocks at the police. the situation seems to be

escalating as i speak right now. i'm seeing a lot of tear gas being fired, one protester has been hit directly in the chest with a gas canister. an ambulance just hauled him away. and this seems to be a new front. most of the clashes have been happening around side streets in tahrir square close to the administrative interior and the -- council building. joe. >> first question, because you mentioned the embassy there, i think the question is whether the crowd seems to be moving toward the united states embassy or does it happen incidentally that they're in the area of the embassy? >> reporter: no, they are not moving towards the embassy. they just happen to be in the area. i just witnessed a police truck ambushed by protesters and burned engulfed with flames. and basically the police officers were able to escape. and the hotels in the area are

shut down. the neighborhood seems to be very tense. no residents on the streets. and the protesters are now clashing outside the square with police forces determined to push them away from the embassy. there are other embassies also in the area. and we are following the situation as the story develops, joe. >> thank you so much, mohamed fammy, reporter on the ground in cairo talking about the crowds that have continued in egypt tonight. as if hurricane sandy's victims didn't have enough problems, the mess left behind may be hazardous to their health. also ahead, a garage that wasn't just used for parking cars. >> they opened the garage and there is up to the ceiling worth of bags of pot. >> wow. >> it was crazy. that bringing you better technology helps make you a better investor. with our revolutionary e-trade 360 dashboard you see exactly where your money is and what it's doing live.

our e-trade pro platform offers powerful functionality that's still so usable you'll actually use it. and our mobile apps are the ultimate in wherever whenever investing. no matter what kind of investor you are, you'll find the technology to help you become a better one at e-trade.

monday marks four weeks since hurricane sandy slammed into the new york and jersey coastlines. now some homeowners are worried the mess the storm left behind may be hazardous to their health. our mary snowe is looking into their concerns. mary. >> reporter: well, joe, we're in long beach, new york. this is a town that was so devastated that a mandatory evacuation order was only lifted last week. and it was just in the last two days that the long beach medical center was able to get up emergency medical tents up and running. you may see them behind me because the storm has hit down the hospital. but the doctors here know from federal medical teams on the ground that there has been a steady stream of medical complaints from people living here.

lurking in the devastation from sandy is yet another worry for homeowners. exposure to toxins, mold and dust and in some places sewage. long beach homeowner fred will only enter his house wearing a protective suit and mask as he clears out areas that were submerged in several feet of water. >> i am concerned about mold, sure. but at this particular point, i don't have the time for it. i have things to get done. and they got to get done. so i protect myself as best i can. >> reporter: while morello says he has no time to get checked for the cough he now has, others have been showing up to mash like tents set up by federal disaster medical assistance teams. you've been to other disaster areas. >> correct. >> reporter: this commander says besides people seeking psychological treatment, they've mostly come in complaining of coughs, bronchitis and asthma since the base was set up november 13th. >> we've been treating 70 to 80 patients a day. >> reporter: a day? >> a day.

and since we've started this base we've treated over 1,000 patients. >> reporter: majority of them would you say pulmonary problems? >> pulmonary would probably be the best, yes. >> reporter: the commander stresses it's unclear how many cases are linked to people with chronic conditions being worsened combined with the fact that access to their regular medication has been tough. some of those questions are in the hands of the long beach medical center which is taking over now that it's been able to set up a makeshift emergency room in its parking lot. the hospital is still closed because of the storm. doctor robert cantor heads the er unit and says it's the unknowns that concern him. >> it's sort of like 9/11. at this point who knows. down the road i'm sure we're going to find a lot of problems. >> reporter: but doctors stress it is still too early to know whether some of these ailments are just short-term or part of something more serious. and one worry now, joe, is the

weather and dropping temperatures. officials say damp and cold weather could be to blame for some of these respiratory problems being reported. joe. >> and i would imagine some of the questions being raised are not just about new york and new jersey but that storm came all the way up the coast. so people in other areas might have concerns as well. >> reporter: absolutely. and this is just one microcosm of all those places that were so hard hit. >> you bet. thanks so much mary snow. this month's election caused dramatic changes in the u.s. political landscape. not only here in washington but in some places you'd least expect. arizona, for example, is sending the nation's first openly bisexual congresswoman to capitol hill. cnn's miguel marquez has more on the changing state that she's coming from. >> that state is changing. there are now nine members of congress from arizona, five of them democratic, four of them

republican. that's the first time that's happened since 2000. we caught up with that new member to see who exactly she is. a politician, social worker and professor now congresswoman-elect of arizona's new ninth district in metropolitan phoenix. your life is about to change big, isn't it? >> well, i'm going to be a little busier. >> reporter: a democrat in a state known for its red meat republican politics. she sees on illegal immigration so tough many called them discriminatory. hard as nails on crime two unconstitutional claim many offenders. another example of just how conservative things are, the gun laws in arizona some of the most permissive in the country. no permit needed even to carry a concealed weapon here at shooters world in phoenix. there's even a ladies night.

home to senator john mccain, governor jan brewer and sheriff joe arpaio. the rise all the more surprising the first openly bisexual member of the u.s. congress raised mormon but has been called an atheist. do you believe in god? >> you know, i'm not a member of any faith community. and i think that faith is a deeply personal issue that individuals should deal with in their private lives. >> meet radical left wing activist -- >> reporter: her opponents label her everything from a communist to a witch in one of the most hard-fought and expensive house races in the country. >> outside groups came in and spent a lot of money trying to tell a story about me that wasn't true. >> reporter: one of four kids growing up her family homeless for two years, her resume all the more impressive. a masters in law degree and a ph.d.. she even runs marathons and triathlons, tough, competitive, ambitious, a new voice in a state that may be changing.

miguel marquez, cnn, phoenix. she's an impressive new member of congress out there. though things are changing, do keep in mind that the latinos and young people hoped to unseat sheriff joe arpaio in maricopa county, neither of those things happened. mitt romney won the state by about ten points. so arizona does have a bit farther to go. joe. >> miguel, kyrsten is pretty well known here in d.c. and there in arizona, how much do you think this is a known of her name brand and personality as opposed to something happening with the democratic party in arizo arizona? >> reporter: yeah. she was well-known in arizona. she served many, many years in the state legislature. so it was mainly her well-known name in that district that got her in. >> miguel marquez, thanks so much for that. one of the most famous bands

in history had its first audition tape rejected. the long lost beatles demo tape ahead. [ male announcer ] when these come together, and these come together, one thing you can depend on is that these will come together. delicious and wholesome. some combinations were just meant to be. tomato soup from campbell's.

it's amazing what soup can do. you can stay in and share something... ♪ ♪ ...or you can get out there with your friends and actually share something. ♪ the lexus december to remember sales event is on, offering some of our best values of the year. this is the pursuit of perfection.

stop! stop! stop! come back here! humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back with great ideas like our optional better car replacement. if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask one of our insurance experts about it today. hello?! we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, and we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. [car alarm blaring] call now and also ask about our 24/7 support and service. call... and lock in your rate for 12 months today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility.

what's your policy? at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke. you're in "the situation room." happening now, a week of deadly conflict and now a growing consensus that hamas is stronger than it was before. also, the probe into the petraeus scandal. did he give classified information to a secret lover? and why hundreds of people are protesting outside walmart stores on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. wolf blitzer's off. i'm joe johns. you're in "the situation room."

a major test of the two-day-old cease-fire between israel and hamas. the militant group says israeli soldiers fired on farmers trying to reach their land near the border killing one person and injuring 25 others. the israeli military says the people were protesters trying to enter israel and that they ignored warning shots. while that incident is being disputed, there's broad agreement that the recent fighting has left hamas in a stronger position than it was before. cnn's brian todd has more for us. brian, what's going on with hamas? >> joe, right now it certainly looks hamas is stronger politically morning it was before this. a group u.s. and israel consider a terrorist group. at this moment it's the major power among the palestinians. in gaza, celebrations and

declarations of victory. this is the side which had scores of its facilities destroyed, more than 100 of its people killed. yet for the leaders of hamas, it signifies a strategy that works. >> i think people will feel now that the only way which can -- to give concessions is the resistance. >> reporter: many observers agree hamas emerges from this conflict stronger than it was before. >> in many ways it's consolidated, it's supporting gaza. >> reporter: it was hamas' rockets that put the palestinian cause back on the world stage, not the diplomatic tact taken by president mahmoud abass and his faction. hamas also has the support of regional powers, turkey, egypt and qatar making the group much more isolated than it was before. many say internally hamas's street cred among palestinians has grown stronger. palestinians demonstrating

support in hamas during this conflict signalled who they thought was fighting for them while abass remained almost invisible. >> he never looks good when he's standing by while palestinians are dying. for palestinians naturally going to feel a very strong sense of empathy and solidarity with their brother ren in gaza doesn't look good to be standing idly by. >> reporter: hamas also may come out of this with a key economic victory. the opening of important crossings into gaza that israel has blockaded. but what does the strengthening of hamas which the u.s. and israel consider a terrorist group mean for security in the region? >> i don't think hamas will become -- but i think it's much more pragmatic than many people actually attribute to it. the alternative to a cease-fire will be a ground invasion by the israelis which they knew would hit them even further. >> and other analysts point out it's not as if israel never

negotiates with hamas. the israelis spoke at least indirectly with them to achieve this cease-fire. and after hamas has captured israeli soldier and held him for five years, israel negotiated to get him released. joe. >> so the takeaway here is they may be stronger politically, but not necessarily militarily. >> that's right. i mean, during this conflict the rocket launching capability was decimated at least in part by israel. that's reduced right now. some of the military commanders, top military commanders, were killed by the israelis over the last week. so that means in the long run if israel decides to strike at iran's nuclear facilities and iran turns to hamas to want to hit back at israel for that, hamas might not have the fire power to do it if all of that plays out soon. >> brian todd, thanks for that. >> sure. when it comes to the children caught in the middle of the conflict, there are no winners but victims. cnn's senior international correspondent sara sidner has that part of the story. sara. >> reporter: joe, another madness of war. we found a place that's really a zone of peace.

a place where families of both sides of the border can find some common ground. this 4-year-old is listening to an age old bedtime story, but he's not at home safe in his bed. he's in the hospital a victim of an age-old conflict that has shattered his family life. he and his parents were staying inside this apartment building in southern israel when a rocket from gaza slammed into it. the blast sheered off several of his tiny fingers, badly injured his father and took his mother's life. she was among the first to die on the israel side of the border. >> translator: he was saying my mother is not here. she's with god. he knows it will be a hard time, his grandmother says. hard is putting it mildly. he has just been through a second surgery. doctors at the sheba medical center reattached four of his fingers, but in the end they had to re-amputate two of them. he lives in the south. and there are rockets all the time in that area.

hamas doesn't think about where the rockets are going she says. while he's being treated in this hospital room, just one room away there's another child with the same kind of war injuries, except she is from the other side of the conflict. she's from gaza. this 8-year-old lost three fingers when the war came to her home. i heard the sound of a missile that hit. i didn't even have time to ask what happened and then the second one hit she says. when the dust cleared, she could see the bones of her child's fingers in small pieces on the floor. she was taken to the hospital in gaza, but it was too crowded and they couldn't give her the best care. so the family asked israel for permission to cross the border. initially her mother was terrified. terrified at the prospect of people considered an enemy in their country putting their hands on her wounded daughter. it's a strange situation. and it's my first time entering israel. i was afraid, but they treated

me and my daughter in a very nice way. and i understand that medicine has nothing to do with politics she says. >> all the tension is blocked outside the hospital. here there is an island of sanity. here we treat people. we don't actually look from where they are and what they do and what they did before coming here and what they're going to do after leaving us. >> reporter: he's treating both children. >> it will never be normal. it will affect her life from now on. and his life from now on in his profession, hobbies and future partner for life, everything. >> reporter: she has worked in this tel aviv hospital her entire career treating everyone from soldiers to suicide bombers and the civilians in between. >> what is it in this piece of land that everybody's fighting about it all the time? this is what comes to my mind. whether this is our look from

eternity now to end. always fighting. what's the point? >> reporter: if there is a point, it is lost on a 4-year-old boy and 8-year-old girl from either side of the israel/gaza border. just want to be children but share a similar fate. innocence interrupted by a war they had nothing to do with. with the fragile cease-fire becoming even more fragile, the families and the staff in this hospital are hoping that this zone of peace as they called it, this island of peace, could extend to the rest of the region. joe. thousands of egyptians are protesting in the streets against the man who helped broker the truce between israel and hamas. just days ago egyptian president mohamed morsi was hailed as a peacemaker. now some accuse him of turning into a dictator after a dramatic power grab that has the u.s. concerned. cnn foreign affairs correspondent jill dougherty is at the state department.

jill, what's the reaction there? >> reporter: well, joe, the state department says that it is concerned. it wants more information. and it also says that one of the key aspirations during the egyptian revolution was to make sure that power was not concentrated in the hands of one individual person or any institution. this move comes just days after secretary of state hillary clinton broke off a trip to asia, raced to the middle east to try to broker a cease-fire. and now cnn has a behind-the-scenes look at that mission. the president and his secretary of state, high profile, high risk diplomacy on gaza. >> i will carry this message to cairo tomorrow. i will also be consulting with president abass. >> reporter: a senior state department official telling cnn "i have the beginnings of an ulcer to show this was not a done deal." two days before secretary of state hillary clinton boarded

her plane in cambodia beginning a whirlwind of shuttle diplomacy in the middle east, the planning began. clinton, president obama, top aides debating the pros and cons of a trip that would put american credibility and influence on the line. she and her staff, the official says, were still working out the timing of her meetings as they drove to the airport. it was a textbook case of on the ground diplomacy, the official says. clinton working on a draft cease-fire agreement with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. >> this is a critical moment for the region. >> reporter: then egyptian president mohamed morsi. she was literally sitting there with a paper, pen in hand making small edits, underlining things, debating phrases the official says and all the while also stepping back and saying what's the larger strategic picture here? even after reaching agreement with president morsi in cairo,

clinton as this photo provided to cnn by the state department shows went upstairs to a study to call prime minister netanyahu to make sure the deal would be accepted. as a former politiciapolitician could make the case to netanyahu and morsi, but this also was an issue of life and death, existential threats and officials say she had to be as much diplomat as politician. on the way to the airport deal in hand, clinton was not jubilant the state department official says. we recognize this is a first step. it remains risky. there are very real underlying problems. and one problem has already raised its head. and that is that bid for power by president morsi. even as a constitution is being written a senior official tells cnn that secretary clinton when she was in cairo actually did discuss that constitution with

president morsi. she was urging more protections for women and for minorities. and these officials, joe, tell us the u.s. is not trying to write the constitution of egypt, but it does say the rule of law is paramount. >> jill, thanks so much. black friday greetded at protest at some walmarts. the company is trying to silence its workers. and why this could be disastrous for charities helping victims of superstorm sandy.

when you take a closer look... ...at the best schools in the world... ...you see they all have something very interesting in common. they have teachers... ...with a deeper knowledge of their subjects.

as a result, their students achieve at a higher level. let's develop more stars in education. let's invest in our teachers... ...so they can inspire our students. let's solve this.

we don't let frequent heartburn come between us and what we love. so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. hundreds of people, some employees are converging on walmart stores across the country protesting what they say is company retaliation for speak out against better pay, fair schedules and affordable health care. cnn's kyung lah is standing outside a walmart in paramount, california. you were in the middle of the

protests today. tell us what happened. >> reporter: this is a very large protest here, joe. there were at the height of this the l.a. county sheriff's department estimating about 1,000 protesters in or around this particular walmart. and this protest, it was loud, it was ruckus, it was the very opposite of what you might expect on a black friday shopping day here at a walmart. and that's the point. the employees who walked off the job joined by many supporters and labor say they want today make the point to management that they want to have a fair discussion about pay, about health care as well about the hours that they work. they chose black friday, a very potent day to make that point. here's what an employee as well as a shopper told us what they think. >> they say do this, do that. none of it works. this is the only way we can get our voice out there is speaking with the media, the public. >> just a matter that they have to, you know, do things right for the employees. >> doing things right for the employees means you have to pay more for your tv, what do you

think about that? >> that's something else. when your pay is low and everything is charged up high, that's something that's not going to work. but that's a country problem. >> reporter: so as you can hear right there, customers certainly not deterred and walmart says that is the primary reason they are still going to be posting what they are calling the best black friday that this retailer, america's largest retailer, has ever had. walmart estimating about 50 employees they believe walked off the job or didn't show up as scheduled although protesters are taking issue with that. now, as far as what happened here at this particular walmart it did become a bit more tense after the main protests, nine of the protesters sat down at the big thoroughfare in front of the walmart. they refused to leave. so the l.a. county sheriff's department announcing they were going to arrest them if they didn't get up. they were very peacefully handcuffed and led away. of the nine four were wearing the walmart protest neon green

shirt. so, joe, we believe four of them were walmart employees. >> all right. kyung lah, thanks so much for that report. a critical part of the democratic republic of congo falls to rebels. our lisa sylvester's monitoring that and some other top stories in "the situation room" right now. what do you have? >> hi, joe. the campaign intended to overthrow the government is being condemned by the united nations. civilians are fleeing as the rebels move towards the next potential battleground. regional leaders will meet in uganda tomorrow and relief warning of a growing humanitarian crisis. signs wall street is encouraged by black friday shopping trends. the dow, s&p and nasdaq all closing up more than 1% in an abbreviated post thanksgiving trading day, it is fifth straight day of gains for the stock market. and the first time since election day the dow closed above 13,000. black friday started early for a number of leading retailers who

opened their doors to shoppers last night. and you are looking at the hall from a massive drug bust. in kentucky police say a garage was stacked to the ceiling with trash bags filled with thousands of pounds of marijuana worth more than $2.5 million. authorities also seized more than $1 million in cash. four illegal immigrants are under arrest and police say the suspects have ties to a notorious mexican drug cartel. and the official white house christmas tree has arrived here in washington. first lady michelle obama, she's on hand to welcome the tree along with daughters sasha, malia and there you see him there, the first dog, bo. >> it's beautiful. it's exactly what we need. we're going to take it. i think we're good. >> time to decorate that thing, i think. this year's tree is a 19-foot

frazier fir from jefferson, north carolina. it will be on display throughout the holiday season in the white house blue room, a tradition that dates back to 1966. a pretty good tree. definitely one to put us in the holiday spirit if we weren't already, joe. >> absolutely. and they really decorate that tree too. it's just amazing what they do with it. people all over the country want to emulate it. >> it's going to be nice to see. and i saw they had the official man and the top hat and everything else. >> with the clydesdales. >> yeah. exactly. i'm getting a bit of the holiday bug between that and the shopping of course. >> of course. thanks so much, lisa sylvester. rebel forces in syria seize control of desperately needed tanks. just ahead, could it be a critical turning point in the bloody civil war? you're in "the situation room." ♪

[ gordon ] for some this line is a convenience. how you doing today? i'm good thanks. how are you? i'm good. [ gordon ] but for others, it's all they can afford. every day nearly nine million older americans don't have enough to eat. anything else? no, not today. join me, aarp, and aarp foundation in the drive to end hunger by visiting drivetoendhunger.org.

president obama made history this week becoming the first american president to visit cambodia as part of his asian tour. it's a country still very much haunted by a horrifying past. cnn white house correspondent dan lothian traveled with the president on that trip and gives us a chilling look at history. >> reporter: the roads to the killing fields are dusty and at times only partly paved. a 30-minute ride into this country's painful past when some 2 million people were killed under the brutal rule of some refer to as the hitler. sometimes it was hundreds by truck each day brought here. some held out hope, others knew it was the end. this is where they came to die.

they were all accused of crimes against a state. most were killed the night they arrived here. others were kept alive for a few more hours in small steel and wood structures once right here on this spot. this man who begs for money and food every day along the fence surrounding the killing fields says his brother was arrested, brought here and murdered by the rouge. it's sad he says, while cnn can't verify his account, our translator says it's credible. there are grim stories at every turn, across fields where a dip in the ground means another grave. this is one of the largest shallow graves where 450 bodies were found. sometimes when it rains you'll find pieces of cloth and bone fragments on the surface. and it's not just in there. all around. right here you'll find a tooth. the prisoners weren't killed with bullets. that was considered to be too expensive. instead they were beaten and hacked to death falling into

these shallow graves. the motto, it's better to kill an innocent by mistake than to spare an enemy by mistake. that twisted logic resulted in a genocide in the mid to late '70s. today at this site, one of more than 300 killing fields in cambodia there's a tower of skulls and bones, a hunting memorial to the victims. the obama administration has concerns about the human rights situation in cambodia today. it doesn't rise to the level of past atrocities, but when president obama met with the prime minister of this country here, he pressed him to hold free and fair elections and to release political bodiacambodia say the situation is being exaggerated, the president warned lack of reforms would be an impediment to a deeper relationship with the u.s. dan lothian, cnn, phnom penh.

new details of the fbi probe of general david petraeus. was his lover given classified information? n more. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% back on... [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% back on 4 trips to the airport. it's as easy as... -[ man ] 1... -[ woman ] 2... [ woman ] 3. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you.

>> hi. >> you know, i can save you 15% today if you open up a charge card account with us. >> announcer: we all love a good deal during the holidays, especially identity thieves. they can open an account in your name and go on a serious spending spree. >> do you have cufflinks? >> mm-hmm. >> gold ones? >> announcer: not on our watch. we're lifelock, with the most comprehensive identity theft protection you can buy. go to lifelock.com or call 1-800-lifelock today. [whoosh] lifelock-- relentlessly

protecting your identity. we're following the probe into general david petraeus, the fbi is looking into whether his biographer-turned lover paula broadwell was given classified information. cnn correspondent barbara starr is working the latest for us. what's the latest? >> reporter: joe, we know classified information was found at paula broadwell's home. but now the probe is turning to figuring out who gave it to her. and the federal law enforcement officials are look at petraeus' own inner circle. >> an unidentified afghan individual -- >> reporter: inside david petraeus's command center in afghanistan, the briefings regularly included classified information. did some of that information make its way to paula broadwell, his biographer at the time?

>> she would have received material from a number of sources, a number of individuals. >> reporter: law enforcement officials confirm to cnn contributor tom fuentes that investigators are looking at whether broadwell, who later had an adulterous affair with petraeus was given classified material by petraeus aides because they may have thought petraeus wanted her to have it as she was in afghanistan gathering material for her book "all in" a biographer on the four-star. "the washington post" first reported details about the petraeus aides. petraeus has authorized former aides and friends to tell reporters he personally never gave broadwell classified information. government sources have told cnn broadwell had material such as powerpoint presentations and schedules. but fuentes says while brod well would have gotten her research

material from a lot of sources, be careful about jumping to conclusions. >> so say that the implication when the fbi is looking at someone, you know, makes it sound like they're the subject of a criminal investigation. right now it's -- that part of it is still in the let's determine how this material is provided and who gave it and under what circumstances. >> reporter: even if the information the fbi removed from broadwell's home was not a risk to national security, she and whoever gave it to her will have plenty to answer for. >> the military and the intelligence, the rest of the intelligence community agencies, don't want every individual on their own to determine what's sensitive and what isn't. >> reporter: look, there are very strict rules in the u.s. military as you would expect about the possession and handling of classified information. so paula broadwell still may have to explain not only what she had, why she had it, what she was doing with it, but why it was inside her house. joe. >> a lot of questions for sure

in this investigation. thanks so much for that, barbara starr. syrian opposition groups say the death toll from 20 months of civil war now tops 42,000 people. and rebel forces appear to be making some small but potentially critical gains in their effort to topple the regime. cnn's nick payton-walsh has the latest from beirut. >> reporter: joe, at least 600 people killed in the last week as rebels report significant advances in the north and east of the country, we've also seen the troubling possibility of nato stationing its missiles along the border between syria and turkey and maybe just possibly being drawn closer towards this conflict. this is the slimmest glimmer of hope for the rebels, a key base west of aleppo, not only overrun but also looted for badly needed weapons. regime aircraft now vulnerable to these, regime tanks now driven by rebels. similar scenes in the east

rebels claiming they've perched the regime from a whole swath of land near the iraqi border. both victories mean the regime is less able to inflict brute force in the north and east. perhaps they're also having to concentrate forces here on damascus' suburbs. rebels have camped regime troops out so it's instead being founded by nearly a fortnight, 33 dead on thursday alone. but that didn't stop this unusual outburst in the capital's very central old market. in wedding dresses demanding an end to military operations discreetly filmed soon led away by uniformed men. little sign bashar al assad is cracking. friday he met with key iranian power broker perhaps bolstered by moscow's swiftly moving to criticize turkey's demand for

patriot missiles like these along the volatile border, a move that could drag nato into the war, russia warned. >> translator: as i already said, the main concern is that the more weapons there are, the greater the risk that they will be used. and also any provocation could trigger it. >> reporter: winter will be unkind to the regime and its opponents. more refugees will struggle in freezing temperatures. but worse weather will also make it harder for the regime's main advantage, air power to fly. the hardest month for syrians may still be ahead. joe, i should point out what we've just seen in the report many people most traveling the intense shelling of these damascus suburbs namely there it seems to be that the regime is unable to push into these rebel strongholds there and is resorting to this heavy bombardment. but i'm sure there are people in the inner circle around president bashar al assad perhaps feeling nervous tonight.

joe. >> nick paton walsh in beirut. some charities are worried they might need their own lifeline with the country on the brink of a fiscal cliff. that's next. and actually share . ♪ the lexus december to remember sales event is on. this is the pursuit of perfection. yeah we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. and i relieve nasal congestion. overachiever. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. cool. you found it. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe.

[ timer dings ] got to go. priority mail flat rate boxes. online pricing starts at $5.15. only from the postal service. [ male announcer ] this holiday, give your family the greatest gift of all -- peace of mind. with the adt after thanksgiving sale. get adt home security and home management starting at just $99. that's a savings of $300. plus 15% off accessories. call now or visit adtpulse.com/tv. sale ends midnight november 27th. more than a security system, adt can help you turn on a few lights. bring family in from the cold. even let you know when an old friend has arrived. get the advanced technology of adt and save $300. starting at $99 installed. pulse save on accessories.

call now or visit adtpulse.com/tv. sale ends midnight november 27th.

with the country on the brink of a financial crisis, there are growing calls for help from the very organizations used to doing the helping, charities. let's bring in our lisa sylvester with details. lisa. >> hi there, joe. well, you know, this is actually prime time season for charities. between now and the end of the year is when they receive their bulk of donations. aside from fund raising, there's something else they are thinking about. the fiscal cliff. the power of philanthropy on

display after superstorm sandy hit. but now it's the charities that are hoping to get a lifeline from washington with a message don't push us over the fiscal cliff, charities are facing it on two fronts. many nonprofits receive government funding that could be slashed. and congress could reduce or cap the charitable deduction donors receive. among those worried, the urban institute. >> on the one hand you might say it's the taxpayer who obviously gets the tax break because they get to take a deduction and their taxes are lowered. but the flip side is if that tax deduction induces them or encourages them to give more to charity, you may argue that the ultimate beneficiary of the charitable deduction is not the taxpayer but actually the ultimate recipient of the charitable gift. >> reporter: one proposal supported by president obama would limit the amount the wealthiest americans could writeoff in charitable donations to 28% of their contribution instead of the current 35%. an idea from the simpson bowls

presidential commission would get rid of the charitable deduction for most taxpayers and replace it with a 12% flat raet. either would have an impact on major institutions that rely on big donations like hospitals and universities. >> let me give you an example. a 1% decline in giving to american higher education would result in a loss of $300 million a year to colleges and universities. >> reporter: nonprofits have launched a new lobbying effort including this website asking charities to contact their members of congress. the deduction has broad support with 68% of americans opposed to making changes according to a gallup poll from last year. but washington is running out of time and options with the fiscal cliff looming at the end of the year. and the charitable deduction is not the only one on the negotiating table. congress could also make changes to the home mortgage ierest deduction, there could be

changes to the property tax write-offs, also another popular one is the capital gains exemptions on home sales. so there's a lot riding on the line here. it could of course impact all of these future tax seasons come next april, joe. >> you start messing with the mortgage deduction, you're going to have steam going out of a lot of taxpayers ears. >> we're talking a lot of big ones on the table. property tax, that's another huge one. everybody says, yes, the deficit, it's all a big problem. and it's true. you can't continue to run these trillion-dollar deficits. but when you get down to the nitty-gritty about what you're actually going to cut, that's what's really hard, joe. >> if they don't fix it, it's going to be in everybody's backyard. thanks so much. >> that's right. does the israel/gaza cease-fire prove that the u.s. can negotiate with what it's called a terror group? what about al qaeda? the implications next. load your, with its foot-activated lift gate.

but that's not all you'll see, cause c-max also beats prius v, with better mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid. tomato, obviously. haha. there's more than that though, there's a kick to it. wahlalalalallala! smooth, but crisp. it's kind of like drinking a food that's a drink, or a drink that's a food, woooooh! [ male announcer ] taste it and describe the indescribable. could've had a v8. ...and now... you! [ giggles ] ♪ the one and only, cheerios

fresh clashes between protesters and riot police in cairo within the past hour. demonstrations have been going on throughout the day and night against president mohamed morsi who's made what has been seen by some as a massive power grab yesterday announcing his decrees are absolute and cannot be appealed or overturned until a new constitution is in place. we want to talk about it with fouad ajami, senior fellow at the hoover institution. so you've seen these reports and headlines as i have. and you look at this, what does it tell you if on one day mohamed morsi is playing an integral role in this deal with hamas and the very next day he's being referred to as some sort of a modern day pharaoh.

what does this tell you? >> it tells us that revolution never really has a straight trajectory. he's a cunning man. he knows what he's doing. when you look at what brackets this decision by morsi to impose dictator power for himself, he signed a deal with the international monetary fund to secure a loan for $4.8 billion. then he did the international community a favor and demonstrated his moderation by negotiating a deal with hamas. and then what he does is he turns around and he asserts his powers domestically. in a way, in some way, it's almost borrowing a page from the book of hosni mubarak. but that's what this revolution has come to in egypt now. >> and i hope -- i saw you tinkering with your ifb there, i hope it's okay. >> it's okay. >> one of the things that is a bit fascinating in all of this

is you had large groups of people headed out into the streets almost immediately. it seemed just about spontaneous. does that tell you a little bit about the volatility of this regime? >> you're exactly right, joe. in fact, two crowds came out. the liberal crowds, the people who feel that the revolution, their revolution in tahrir square that excited the world was stolen from them. and then there was another crowd, the crowd that morsi spoke to. it was his own crowd. it was basically the muslim brotherhood. he turned them out and he spoke to them. and then you have these two forces. we know that the people who pulled off this revolution in tahrir square never really wanted this kind of reign. they just ended up with this. we ended up with a situation where there were two candidates for the presidency, one from the old mubarak regime and one from muslim brotherhood. and the liberal forces divided themselves and betrayed in the process because they did not know how to play the game.

>> have we just seen a quiet see change in the so-called negotiating with terrorist organizations? the united states say they won't do it, israel says it doesn't do it, but there's been this negotiation with hamas. and i suppose the question is, at some point at the end of the day, do these governments have to negotiate or talk to the real enemy? >> well, joe, we really do negotiate. we deny, but we negotiate under the table. and we think of the great communicator, we think of ronald reagan in the '80s insisting he doesn't deal with terrorists and we discovered otherwise. sometimes governments should not make these absolutely moral statements because indeed what do you do about hamas? it controls gaza. it holds gaza in captivity, if you will. it is the rogue government in gaza. do you deal with it? well, you try. and how do you deal with it? you designate egyptians as middlemen. we negotiate with terrorists even though we deny it all the time. >> part of the deal is for the

united states to help stop the flow of weapons into gaza. but do you suspect egypt is really going to help the united states do that? >> i think egypt will look after its own interests, joe. because one thing the egyptians are very worried about the sina peninsula. it is a place for smugglers, terrorists, raiders, and it has a heavy -- so they must secure the sina peninsula, make sure they have american aid, and they must in the end try to be a broker between the isrealis and hamas, it's a game that egypt knows and one that egypt capitalizes on. >> how much do you think hamas won or gained in all of this? >> no, please, i'm a heretic on this one. i heard a lot of people say hamas gained, they had people came from all over the world --

the foreign minister of turkey came to gaza, et cetera et cetera. but when you look at the conditions, the economics, and the destruction of gaza, there is no gain there. it was said some years ago, six years ago, that hezbollah gained from it's war with israel, it did not, it brought destruction on to the people of south lebanon and the people of beroub beruit. >> always good to talk to you, thank you so much for coming in. >> thank you, joe. one of the most famous bands in history had their first audition tape rejected. 44 @4p@4

it's crunch time at airports around the country. more than 24 million people are expected to fly during this thanksgiving holiday, we're going behind the scenes for an exclusive look at what it takes to get flights turned around safely and on time. joe, it takes a team of people to make sure flights coming in get prepped and ready to go right back out. we got exclusive access to a ground crew time at united airlines so see how they get it done under deadline. >> at the gate, the action starts when these wands stop the plane. we got an exclusive up close look at united airlines highly

routine. first, unloading a flight from amsterdam. these are filled with luggage. >> there's a lot of process for getting the bag from one destination to another, but we do it efficiently. >> timing is everything as they unload the cargo off the plane, you can see up there catering is restocking the plane with food. >> it is watched over from a control center at the airport. >> i like to think of myself as an orchestra conductor. everybody has a responsibility and a critical part of the mission. >> reporter: you have cleaning crews and maintenance checking to make sure everything inside the plane is ready to go for the next flight. the pilots arrive and as much as 35 employees continue to ready

the aircraft for departure. workers can see just how long they have to complete the task by the countdown clock over there, it typically ranges from 40 minutes to an hour and a half. >> i got to climb in a cargo hold. >> get yourself organize nieszed and you'll be all right. >> but it's heavy lifting. >> yes, it is, when you do it so long, you get used to it. >> efficiency is key. the head of operations say it's not only good for pass juries but for company profits. >> the faster we can turn an airplane, the faster we can get it back in the air flying. >> a little over an hour since it landed, this plane is begin filled with passengers and ready to go off a push away, the ramp crew is done, all that's left is a taxy to the runway and take off.

>> reporter: they turn around about six planes a day per shift. while speed is a factor, the airline says safety is their number one priority, joe? >> sandra endo in houston. if you think you've heard everything the beatles have done, think again, a long lost demo tape has just resurfaced. phil hann has the story behind it. >> reporter: they were four unknown guys in 1962. john, paul, george, and pete. trying to break into the music business by making this audition tape. they handed deco recording their demo that included this song, "three cool cats." ♪ >> but the group was rejected by the record company and told they had no future in show business. that groups like theirs were on the way out.

♪ >> boy were they wrong. >> the quality is absolutely -- it's like you're sitting in a cinema when you have headphones on. it's brilliant, and that's the most amazing part about this tape is the quality. >> the beatles recorded ten songs on the demo, listing them on this tape cover. it includes "money,"" crying, waiting, hoping," and "searching." this is the first time the audition tape is being heard in public, and it could be yours. >> anyone that spends over $20,000 on it, they're going to be telling everybody on the planet they own it, it's a trophy. >> but you can't afford the price tag and you are a fan, at least now you know how it all began, phil han, cnn, london.

you're in "the situation room." happening now, new turmoil in egypt. residents call their leader a dictator. and surprising new details of osama bin laden's burial at sea. and i'll ask the leader of the anti-tax movement why some republicans are breaking with him and his no new taxes pledge. wolf blitzer is off, i'm joe johns, and you're in the situation room. a new front has opened in the unrest with egypt with police firing tier gas at protesters, just outside cairo's main square. we're told the embassy was not a target. demonstrators are demanding that

mohammed morsy -- >> reporter: joe, if anyone thought egyptians were tired or weary, all you to do is look at cairo's tahrir square, and that's not the case. they seem as energized at ever, and this time they're going after their current president. >> outraged, clashes, and anguish in tahrir square. this is where egyptians demanded the ousting of hosni last year.

>> on thursday, the new president made himself the most powerful man in egypt by announcing sweeping decarerees says are to push forward the drafting of the new constitution, and speed up government still missing a parliament. >> if you ask anyone, overturning any of his declarations -- that border -- so technically, it means for now he can do whatever he wants without any oversight. >> i felt he was telling us you guys don't exist. just me and my people, and no place for anybody else in egypt. >> we're now allowing for a dictatorship again. we're not going into

dictatorship once again. >> in a separate decree, he banned the break up of the constitutional assembly, 1090-member panel drafted to design the constitution. he says it favors islamic factions. some have sued to dissolve the panel. his decree prohibits that. as nightfall approached, anger turned to violence, and protesters clashed with police. >> we're right along one of the major arteries leading into tahrir square. tear gas, and we're moving away. >> as the protests intensified, mr. morsy asked for calm.

for those that gathered out of the pal lace, he defended hits decrees and defended accusations of a power grab. >> translator: i didn't take a decision against anyone or pick a side against another. i have to put myself in a clear bath, a path that achiefs a clear goal. >> it's now after midnight, and pockets of clashes continue around tahrir square, and many of the demonstrators are pitching tents, an indication the demonstrations could continue through the weekend. only two days ago, secretary of state hillary clinton was praising the egyptian government for it's leadership in bringing stability and peace to the east. let's go to dan lothian. >> reporter: there is concern about too much power in the hands of one man. he played a key role in that cease fire, he developed what

one official says is a relationship of trust with president obama, but as we know with every relationship, things can get complicated. >> at the white house, a sense of calm, kicking off the holiday season with the arrival of a 19 foot christmas tree. >> it is perfect. >> while the president headed to the golf course at joint base andrews, but the white house is closely watching developments in egypt. protests, violent at times, and anger over what some see as president morsy's power grab. >> it appears the timing is curious, he has a support and a bump, particularly for his role in mediating the cease fire from the united states and others. he is seen as emerging stronger from this. >> but now, concern from the obama administration, victoria

nuland saying the decisions and deck collar rations announced on november 22nd raided concerned for egyptians and the international community. one of the aspirations was to ensure it would not be dominated by one person. the president spoke frequently by phone with president morsy to seal an israeli-hamas cease fire. they developed what one person characterized as a relationship of trust. it's too early to tell if the latest move changes that. >> up until now, he has done well from the western perspective in working with israel. he has a lot to prove to the outside world and his own people. >> the obama administration is calling for calm in egypt and encouraging the leadership there to work together to resolve their differences peacefully and

through democratic dialogue, joe? >> and this is not a situation where the administration can be accused of being blind sided by this move, correct? >> yes, tallahassee lot of concerns from inside and outside of the administration for doing business with him. just a few months ago, there were questions about whether or not egypt was an ally. so the administration is trying to find that out right now. >> dan lothian at the white house, thank you. >> bullets fly, will the fragile cease fire with hamas hold? and up to 80 patients a day that believe the devastation from superstorm sandy made them sick. ♪

announcing the all-new 2013 malibu from chevrolet. ♪ with a remarkable new interior featuring the available chevrolet mylink infotainment system. this is where sophisticated styling begins. and where it ends? that's up to you. it's here -- the greatest malibu ever. ♪

a two-day old cease fire between israel and hamas seems to be holding despite rumors they open fired near israel's border with gaza. joining me now is sarah sidner, and she is saying that some troops open fired on palestinian citizens, what can you tell us? >> well, they have very differing stories from what the isz rally military is saying. here is what the health ministry said. one person was killed, and 24 people were injured. they were farmers on the gaza side of the border, and that the israeli military open fired on them. the military says there was several groups of men protesting, they came to the fence, some were trying to enter israel, and they fired warning shots, and when they were not

heeded, they started firing towards their legs. no death or injuries have been confirmed, but they are investigating. what makes this significant is it's happening 48 hours after a very fragile cease-fire was agreed on between israel and gaza, there is concern that this would be considered breaking this cease fire from one side or the other. a lot of people here concerned about that very thing, especially the civilians that have gone through so much over the last several days. >> going into the cease fire, a lot of people expected there would be a certain number of squirmishes, do you think this is out of the ordinary? >> it's not, if you look back just a couple months ago, there was a lot of things going on that border, tunnels exploding, on israeli soldiers, there was a child shot, there was return

fire, so there have been a lot of things that have gone on with a lot of people saying that one side or another side is to blame, it's just the timing of all of this that has people concerns. as a whole, even though we're hering from the palestinian short, they say they're on the cease fire, they say it will stick for some time, and the real concern is on the civilians and if they can come to a permanent solution. >> it appears it would take quite a while to get to that permanent solution, nol something that would happen overnight. >> no, there's a lot of things there's a lot of things that both sides say they want, but they will not be able to agree on them, they have not been able to for many, more years since

hamas took over in 2007. these are sticking points that i think they will talk through, try to get through them, but we may be waiting a very long time for a permanent solution in this particular situation, joe. >> sarah sidner reporting from jerusal jerusalem. >> the people that can stop worrying about rockets foling in their neighborhood are not the only ones that are happy about the cease-tire >> reporter: however crude the calculation, especially amid the civilian casualties, there are winners and losers and they are reshaping political alliances in the region. we begin in e kwipt, and t-- eg where the president is getting

political capital in the arab world and the united states. >> he was perceived as a weak leader, has much to everyone's surprise, delivered. >> and then there is israel and it's leader benjamin netanyahu, after that killed the military leader, he launched air strikes hitting more than 15 targets. >> and the u.s. was successful with iron dome. but the counter point to that is ironic. hamas emerges as a big win from this conflict and it's truce. >> hamas emerged stronger, and it has gained now more

legitimacy. >> they my get an easing of the gaza block aid if a more compromising deal can be done. >> they put the issue back on the international stage. >> and that brings us back to those who lost much in this conflict. the palestinian leaders were supposed to be the moderate peace brokers, now they can't even claim to speak for all palestinians and proed that have no leverage. >> this is not a good outcome for the pursuit of a two state solution. >> and always a player, their hand is weakened. >> they shot dozens of missiles out of the sky, what it if israel attacked iran, can they call on hamas?

this will have an impact on any peace negotiations going forward. we're watching several other big stories including previously classified e-mails just released that shine a light on osama bin laden's death. and mexico's outgoing president proposes a name change for his country. ♪ there is no relief for the brakes. we'll put them to the test today. all right, let's move out! [ ross ] we're pushing the ats brakes to the limit. going as fast as we can down the hill. we are making these sharp turns, slamming on the brembo brakes. [ derek ] it's like instant response, incredibly consistent. this is the challenge, machine vs. mountain. [ male announcer ] the all-new cadillac ats. this is the challenge, machine vs. mountain. playing sports is just my whole life. looking back, if it wasn't for shriners hospital,

things would just be really, really different. i lost my leg when i was a kid. there was a time when i felt like i wasn't going to be able to walk again... it was a pretty bad accident but shriners showed me who i could be again. they turned my whole life around. they call it 'love to the rescue' and it really works. hunter's life is one of nearly a million changed by donations from people like you. send your love to the rescue. donate to shriners hospitals for children today.

the holidays can be an especially difficult time. everything's different now. sometimes i feel all alone. christmas used to be my favorite. i just don't expect anything. what if santa can't find me? to help, sleep train is holding a secret santa toy drive. bring your gift to any sleep train, and help keep the spirit of the holidays alive. not everyone can be a foster parent, but anyone can help a foster child. can't believe it's this time already, christmas rush is on, and wall street traders seem a little encouraged, lisa is back is some of the top stories. >> that's right were for the

first time since election day, the dow closed above 13,000. the trading session was shortened for the day after thanksgiving, black friday sales are expected to be up 2% to 3% more this year. there was protests across the country at places like walmart, and some people walked off the job as a union organized fight. >> we don't want customers to walk away from walmart, we want them here, this is how we pay our bills, this is how the store stays open, it's awesome, but we're trying to get a point across. walmart, help us. >> walmart filed a complaint in an effort to stop the protests claiming they violated labor laws, and pope benedict is

raising eyebrows about his book about the bible's description of the birth of jesus. over the years, it has been built up about animals in the manger, and angels in the sky, and he says that's not what it was. >> reporter: so what pope is doing is he is going through the gospel narratives of how jesus was born and where, and he is doing a textual criticism, he is looks at the words and what is there implicitly and explicitly. this will make kids upset that are set to be the ox in the christmas play. let's look at luke. when we talk about the narrative of the jesus infancy story. and she, gave birth to her first son and wrapped him in bands of

cloth and laid him in a manger. the manger is where the animals ate in a stable. so there you have this implicit reference to animals, but not explicit. and the pope is saying yes, in our tradition, we have ox and sheep, but it doesn't say that in the text. he says that we should probably set aside. >> makes me wonder if we have to change the nativity scenes. he also says the sixth century monk his calculated the date of his birth. and since 1824, mexico has been legally named the united mexico states. but he wants to change it to

just mexico. >> they're trying to get rid of the united states part because it sounds too much like the united states of america or what? >> it's something he has been fighting for for a long time. he says it just -- mexico is what it's known as, and it would simplify things if they just called it mexico, that involves changing the currency, official documents, and it's an evolved process. >> and it could be a good ad campaign as well. thanks, lisa. the man who pressed republicans to take an anti-tax pledge is losing high file supporters. i will ask grover nordqvist about the loss. how you doing today? i'm good thanks. how are you? i'm good. [ gordon ] but for others, it's all they can afford. every day nearly nine million older americans don't have enough to eat. anything else? no, not today.

join me, aarp, and aarp foundation in the drive to end hunger by visiting drivetoendhunger.org. in the drive to end hunger if we want to improve our schools... ... what should we invest in? maybe new buildings? what about updated equipment? they can help, but recent research shows... ... nothing transforms schools like investing in advanced teacher education. let's build a strong foundation. let's invest in our teachers so they can inspire our students. let's solve this. (child screaming underwater)... (underwater noises).

stop! stop! stop! come back here! humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back with great ideas like our optional better car replacement. if your car is totaled,

we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask one of our insurance experts about it today. hello?! we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, and we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. [car alarm blaring] call now and also ask about our 24/7 support and service. call... and lock in your rate for 12 months today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? . some republicans appear to be rethinking their strategy after their election losses, and

some are breaking ranks with the influential anti-tax advocate grover norquist. he has asked them to oppose tax increases and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions or credits unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates. the republican senatoor chamblis says he has a job to do for the american people, not grover norqui norquist. what's your reaction to this, these are pretty strong words?

a little confusing. one, of course the commitment he made to the people of georgia was not to me, it was a written commitment to the people of georgia that he would go to washington to reduce government spending and reform government, not raise taxes. if he wants to change his mind and become a tax increaser so we don't have to reform government, he needs to have that conversation with the people of georgia. he then talks about my plan to increase debt or something. the only plan that i think i've supported is the paul ryan bill, which reduces the deficit, brings down the debt, doesn't raise taxes, and it's a plan that mr. chambliss voted for. so i think they caught im, and he said things that didn't make sense. what i have been urging all candidates to do, is to look at

the fiscal cliff. we need to have any negotiations about raising taxes or deferring spending restraint, obama wants to spend more on stimulus spending, and to raise taxes. if whatever we discuss needs to be in front of cspan cameras so every american knows exactly what both sides are saying. >> has he talked to you about this? have you had any type of a conversation about it? if you look at this, the question is whether he is reading the cards and asking himself what position he needs to be in in the next reelection campaign. >> well, chambliss was part of what was called the gang of six, three republicans and three democrats that tried to take the

simpson bowles outline, and they could not come to an agreement. they wanted all tax increases and no spending restraint, so that did not work out. i had a long conversation with senator chambliss, about why i thought it was a mistake to walk into a closed room with democrats, instead of an open conversation. people can come out of a closed room and misrepresent what you've said and what you agreed to, and the other republicans in that committee wrote an open letter, which i believe we supposed on our website that was to me and the country, an open letter that said they would oppose any tax increases, they would support revenue that came from economic growth. i think we can all agree we need more economic growth, the economy has been very slow, too

slow, and we need to do better. if we grow at 4% a year instead of 2% a year for one decade, the federal government would get $5 trillion more. that would pay down the entire debt that obama racked up in the first term, that's the way to go, not tax increases that would slow the economy. >> the reason why this is so interesting is it raises a question has to whether there are members of your party turning against you. senator chambliss is not the only one that said something like this, bill crystal said it would not kill the country to raise taxes. are you concerned that elements of the republican party are moving in a different direction? >> no, the good news, and certainly speaker boehner who was just reelected, and the leader of the republicans mick mcconnell have been very clear that they're going into this to reduce covet spending and reform

government. they oppose tax hikes, 90% of americans and remembers in congress have made a written commitment to the american people, not to raise taxes. there will us be some that get asked a hypothetical question. that's why i don't want to be too critical, people ask you a hypothetical and you can answer it oddly. it happens from time to time. there is nothing new here, there was nothing here that people weren't saying a year or two years ago. there will always be peel on the side that say why not try this or that -- that's why i think the negotiation should be on cspan, and second, when they come to an agreement, let's write it down, and put it online for seven days so that every american, not just the special interests in washington, so every american can see what's

gl agreed to before the house or the senate vote on it. >> and to say letting certain republicans out of the pledge, or even massaging the language of the pledge after all of these years, any consideration at all to make changes of your own? >> well, the important thing to point out is that this is a written commitment by elected officials to their constituents and their states. chambliss wrote a commitment, he reiterated that in the last year. he never promised me anything. so the pledge is from elected officials, in writing, to their constituents. a lot of politicians make secret deals with special deals, this is a public statement to the american people.

when guy to washington,ly not raise your taxes. i will reform government. i think it's a good idea to public commitments to america, i think it's bad for people to tell the labor unions that i'll do this when i get in, but don't tell anyone else. public information so that everyone can see if you want to raise taxes or not -- >> >> but have you thought about changing the fledge any way, ever? >> well, okay, i can't change the pledge because it's not to me. it's not like someone can say grover, i promised you this and i want to do it differently. >> it's your group though, right? you're the guy, everybody associates the pledge with you. >> that's very kind of them, and we share it with all candidates, and republicans and democrats, not just republicans. and of course, mr. chandler from

kentucky was elected, ben chandler, taking the pledge. he broke the pledge and he was defeated in the last election. people were unhappy that he pretended to be a conservative democrat, and he lost his election. nelson, another democrat, a senator from nebraska, also got elected taking the pledge, said he would not raise taxes, but did when he voted for obama care. 20 different taxes there, many of them directly on the middle class, and he could not get -- he could not wip, so he decin, not to run. >> good to be with you joe. >> take care. >> the american people -- >> navy officials use surprising code words in their secret e-mails about the burial of osama bin laden. stand by for new investigation

just made public. this is the pursuit of perfection. there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs. use the most advanced technology to protect our water. billions in the economy. at chevron, if we can't do it right, we won't do it at all. we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. ♪ five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. [ male announcer ] the way it moves.

the way it cleans. everything about the oral-b power brush is simply revolutionary. oral-b power brushes oscillate, rotate and even pulsate to gently loosen and break up that sticky plaque with more brush movements than manual brushes and even up to 50% more than leading sonic technology brushes for a superior clean. oral-b power brushes. go to oralb.com for the latest offers.

some of the secrets surrounding osama bin laden's burial at sea are being revealed, and sensitive navy e-mails just became public, brian todd has been looking at them. >> of course, we have seen no pictures of him after his death, but we have new details now on his burial, this from one of the very few public disclosures of the government on bin laden's death. >> tense and secretive transmissions at carl vincent waits for the body of osama bin laden. the al qaeda leader has just been killed by navy seals.

navy admirals use towards to describe him. they say fedexdlooi delivered b packages. a few days earlier, that strike group commander asked another officer do i need any special religious ceremonial preparations. after he is buried at scene, he described the scene. traditional procedures for islamic burials. it was placed in a weighted back. after the words were complete, the body was placed on a prepared flat board, tipped up, where the body slid into the sea. according to the e-mail, not

many saw it. >> only a small group of the leadership was informed, less than a dozen total. and another indication of the secrecy of that part of the mission, an e-mail from a top admiral to michael mullen. the documentary evidence in our possession is a reflection of the emphasis placed upon operational security. >> and later that day on may 2nd, a note of gratitude. a deputy commander says thank you and your magnificent strike group for what you did for your country today. that's a day that we will never forget. >> as if destroyed homes and businesses weren't bad enough, now sandy victims are worried they're dealing with a sickness related to the super storm, and doctors say it could get worse.

as if the devastation wasn't enough, hundreds of people say they've become sick because of the superstorm. mary snow is taking an in-depth look at that. >> reporter: we're in long beach, new york, an area so devastated that a mandatory evacuation was just lifted last week. and it has just been daying since they were able to get emergency medical tents up and running because the hospital remains closed from damage. doctors know from federal medical teams on the ground there has been a steady stream of medical complaints from people living here. lurking in the devastation from sandy is another worry for homeowners. exposure to toxins, hold, dust, and in some places, sewage.

fred will only enter his house wearing a protective suit and mask as he goes in areas submerged in several feet of water. >> i'm concerned about mold, but at this point, i don't have time for it. i protect myself as best i can. >> he says he has no time to get checked, but others have been showing up to tents set up by federal assistance teams. >> you have been to other disaster areas? >> correct. >> beside people seeking psychological treatment, they have come in complaining of coughs, asthma, and bronchitis. >> we have been treating 70 people a day, and since we started this base, we treated over 1,000 patients. >> the majority of them with pulmonary problems? >> yes, that would be the best, yes. >> the commander stresses it's

unclear how many indications are linked to people with chronic conditions being worsened combined with the fact that access to their regular medication has been tough. some of those questions are in the hands of the long beach medical center which is taking over now that it's been able to set up makeshift emergency room. the head of the e.r. unit says it's the unknowns that concern him. >> it's like 9/11, at this point, we don't know, we'll find a lot of problems down the road i'm sure. >> doctors stress it's too early to know if the ail pmts are short-term or part of something more serious. one of the problems now is the weather and dropping testimonies. officials say cold, camp weather could be to blame for some of the problems being reported. >> now an in-depth look at the financial toll of the storm pch poppy harlow talked to the owny

of one small business struggling to survive. >> right before superstorm sandy, the streets were quiet outside liberty industrial gas and welding. >> that's in less than 10 minutes. >> this is night fall as the waters begin to rise. >> at this point, i think it's gone. >> in industrial park in red hook brooklyn, sandwiched between to bodies of water. >> this is the canal coming in, and lipperty is right here, we really had quite a surge because of the river in this area and flooding these streets. >> ashley murray's family business devastated. >> this is hard for you were personally, i see it in your eyes. >> yeah, we're devastated, and it's a devastating process, and we need a little more help.

>> do you feel forgotten. >> a little, yes. >> 80% of her inventory gone. >> essentially, we have moved everything into our stock room so that we can work from the sidewalk. so now this is where we we have one functioning computer. one printer. and we have people coming in from the roll down door. >> before sandy, you didn't have any debt. now? >> now, we're probably looking at 700 to 800,000 in debt. >> what kind of help have you gotten from the government? >> nothing from the government. >> ashley found government loans with 6% interest. her bank did better with a line of credit at just over 3%. >> we had chop saws and boxed items that -- >> there go the lights again. the challenge of doing business these days, even the generators fail. things are so bad here in red hook that this business next

door to ashley's is literally drying invoices like this with a hair drier. what does this business mean to you? ? it's my life. >> ashley's employees watched her grow up, working alongside her father. now, it's up to her to save their jobs. >> there's so much history here. the community, our customers. we really do have, we have a great business here and i think we can make it great again. >> poppy harlow, cnn, new york. >> business is down 30% for ashley, but she hopes to be up and normally by may. if you'd like to help victims of the storm, head to cnn.com/impact. up next, a young woman's death sparking anger around the world. now, her husband is demanding answer and he's talking to cnn. . anne's tablet was chatting with a tablet in sydney... a desktop in zurich...

and a telepresence room in brazil. the secure cloud helped us get some numbers from my assistant's pc in new york. and before i reached the top, the board meeting became a congrats we sold the company party. wait til my wife's phone hears about this. [ cellphone vibrating ] [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center, working together has never worked so well. [ male announcer ] are you on medicare? do you have the coverage you need? open enrollment ends friday, december 7th. so don't wait.

now's the time to get on a path that could be right for you... with unitedhealthcare medicare solutions. call today to learn about the kinds of coverage we offer, including aarp medicarecomplete plans insured through unitedhealthcare. these medicare advantage plans can combine parts a and b, your hospital and doctor coverage... with part d prescription drug coverage, and extra benefits... all in one complete plan... for a $0 monthly premium. no more than what you already pay for medicare part b. unitedhealthcare doesn't stop there. we'll cover 100% of your preventive services... like an annual physical and immunizations... and you'll have the flexibility to change doctors within one of the nation's largest networks, dedicated to helping you live a healthier life. other benefits can include vision and hearing coverage --

and the pharmacy saver program gives you access to prescriptions as low as $2... at thousands of pharmacies across the country, in retail locations like these. ♪ call to enroll today and enjoy these benefits... for a $0 monthly premium. most plans also include part d prescription drug coverage. your healthcare needs are unique. that's why, with over 30 years of medicare experience, we're here to guide you every step of the way. open enrollment ends december 7th. so don't wait. if you're medicare eligible, call now... and talk to unitedhealthcare about our plans, like aarp medicarecomplete. let's get you on the right path. call today. ♪

new backlash against some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. ireland has opened a new investigation into the death of a 31-year-old woman after she was denied an abortion of her dying fetus. >> he has lost his wife and now fears the truth behind her tragic death may be lost, too. >> basically, some key information is. >> michele:ing. >> they met in india, married and set up home in ireland four years ago. he is is an engineer.

she was a dentist. they were happy here. >> she loved dancing. she forced me to dance on a couple of times on the stage. we gave a performance and that will be the fondest memories, on stage. i never had that, i always had the stage fear, to speak out and the belief she gave me was unbelievable. >> together, they had dreams of a beautiful future, of children. their children. of having a family. >> she was looking forward, basically. in a way, she found that you know she's at the right place, so that's the reason why she knew and she was very well organized as well. she knew what she wanted in life. that's the reason why she had decided to settle here. >> when she game pregnant, they were overjoyed, then, their

ordeal began. she got back pain. here at the university hospital, doctors told her she was miscarrying, her baby would likely die. her husband says they asked for a termination and we're told this is a catholic country. not for the the fetus is alive. >> we wanted to go back, go home and you know, think about the next -- because it was a planned pregnancy. we were so happy. we wanted to have babies. >> three days after the request, the fetus died, was removed. four days later, she was dead from a blood infection. >> our bodies, our life! >> ireland has been outraged, protests in support of sevita have urged the country's politicians to update abortion laws to prevent similar

tragedies. there has been political fallout, too. abortion is a hot button issue in ireland. the prime minister is under pressure to get -- to help a health services inquiry. government steps so far have done little to inspire, not just he says because they took week bfrs announcing an inquiry, but when they did, three of the seven medical professionals on the investigate team were from the same hospital here, where his wife died although they've now been replaced, other issues remain. not the least of which the missing medical records. records the hospital declined our request to comment on. >> basically, we made a request for termination and then there is no notes and the request found any of the medical notes and also, there is the -- the response from the doctor. that is not in the medical records either. >> what do you think has

happened to it? >> i don't know. it's just strange that all the other information in there, then we requested for a cup of tea and toast and things like an extra blanket was given. all that is in the medical notes. >> he says he will settle for nothing less than a full public inquiry. where the health service, not just his wife's death, is investigated. >> every single family person asked me how this happened. in the country like ireland in the 21st century because it was just so -- when you know what the pab bibby's not going to survive, why wait? think about the bigger life, which was my wife, and they didn't. >> all he wants, he says, is the truth. >> as a result of this story, irish health officia